ok, i just got a quote from heacock classic. 18,000 agreed value, i told him i drive 2000 miles per year, they wrote the policy for 3000 miles per year. they allow errands, the only restriction is no driving it to work. for liability of 100/300/50, uninsured motorist 50/100 , the annual premium for a 50 year old driver (me, darn) is $170 per year. has anyone used these folks? regards, tom

tm peterson

Hi Dan -

I pay $154 per year with a $17,500 agreed value through Hagerty -- same basic restrictions as you've cited.

Scott

Scott McCoy

According to hagerty, they only allow "an occassional pleasure drive." As for Heacock, I got a quote from them on the phone, and when I asked "specifically" about errands, I was told "No, and basicaly all classic insurance policies prohibit that." So, regardless of what the web site says, read the ploicy carefully. Maybe I just got the wrong salesperson. Needless to say, neither of these represented any improvement over what I have now, so I'm still in a quandry.

I cannot believe it is any more difficult to insure a $20,000 classic, with "dive anywhere" coverage, WITH an agreed value, than it is to insure my $55,000 late model mercedes roadster where damage will be far more expensive to repair.

I'm willing to pay the price, but no one will give me an agreed value, and I'm certainly not going to risk being highly disappointed in what I am reimbursed in the event of a claim.

There, I feel better now :-)

Larry

L Karpman

My last SHOULD have read, ..."no one will give me an agreed value AND drive anywhere coverage."

Larry

L Karpman

larry, thanks for the comments. to clarify, i am less concerned about pricing than i am about coverage and service. anyone can set low premiums and not come through with a check at claim time. i specificly asked damien, the agent, about errands and he stated occasional errands are allowed, the only restriction was against driving it to work. i can live with that, it is exactly what i am looking for. i was hoping someone had service experience with this company. regards, tom

tm peterson

Agreed Tom, just passing along what they said. to me I still would read the policy carefully when you get it to be sure. It's obvious from the difference in what you were told and I was told, that all agents don't say the same thing at the same company. Better yet, I'd ask for a copy via email or fax beforehand of the specific restrictions written into the policy. Hope it is true, as I might give them another call. I'd like to take mine to work too, but would live with "errands" Right now mine covers occassional pleasure drives, but doesn't define "occassional." :-)

Larry

L Karpman

Hi,

What ever the policy,I always make sure that there is a specific clause in the contract that states I can keep the 'wreck' in case of a write-off. Mind you,I would'nt really like to be in a TD or TF in a written off accident!

CheersRob. Grantham

Rob. Grantham

Downunder in Oz, mine is with RACV Classic insurance since before I took posession (can't be too careful whilst it was getting transported home from interstate).

RACV offers "agreed value, choice of repairer and the retention of salvage."Think they allow 7000km usage pa, just not driving to work.

Excellent service every year at premium time;no complaints except they are a separatecompany from RACV's Motor Insurance so I cannot get any multi-policy discounteven though I have my family wagon with RACV also.

Will

I switched from JC Taylor to Hagerdy this year. JC was even more restrictive, their policy was club events and parades. At least my Hagerdy policy allows " occasional" pleasure driving. I know that is vague and that could or could not be favorable to the owner.

I did receive a letter from JC Taylor asking why I did not renew with them. I made it clear that I needed a policy that allows me a bit more fredom to drive my car.

With the number of high priced roadsters and other collector cars. One of these insurance companies has got to come up with a better plan.

Larry. I am in total agreement and this is an argument I used when trying to get fixed amount and the ability to drive more.

If I bang up a fender on my TD, it will cost a thousand to fix. If I do the same damage on my 2007 car it will be thousands more.

If it total my MGB GT, they are out $7500. Most minimal to moderate repairs for new cars are more than that. Heck air bags run $1500 a pop (pun intended)

BEC Cunha

Of course I agree Bruce. If I could just get my "main" insurance company to commit to what guide they will use to determine value, I might even go with that, as opposed to an agreed value, IF it's reasonable. I don't mind paying many hundreds per year more for "drive anywhere" coverage, but without either an agreed value or knowing with certainty what they will use to value my car or its repair, I will not do it.

I hope someone has experience with the company that quoted for Tom, as I'm sure he'd like to know if they can be counted on. This, of course, is critical to any company we might do business with, reagrdless of the policy costs.

Larry

L Karpman

larry, i think i will post this on the AACA website to see if anyone has experience with this company. i will post the results, if any. regards, tom

tm peterson

Try Grundy Classic Car Insurance out of PA. You Might be surpised.

Tom

This is the statement from Grundy's website, "This policy authorizes unlimited hobby use of your collector vehicle in collector activities, exhibits and parades."

They have no mileage restrictions, because it can't really be monitored, but there is no allowance for use of the car for errands or any other purpose other than that stated above. That's more restrictive than what I have now.

Cheers

Larry

L Karpman

I have used Condon & Skelly for a number of years. I've never had to make a claim and their routine service is fine. In the FAQ section of their website the following information is provided:

"Usage: Condon & Skelly covers vehicles that are maintained as a hobby. The vehicles may be used and enjoyed on a limited basis consistent with a collectible vehicle. Club functions, exhibitions, occasional leisure drives and tours are all acceptable uses as long as the annual mileage limits are not exceeded. Collectible vehicles cannot be used for commuting to school or work or as a backup for the family car."

"Annual Mileage Allowance: For most states the annual mileage limitation for original/authentic vehicles is 2,500."

"What are the advantages to Agreed-Value Coverage?As you probably know, ACV (actual cash value) and STATED VALUE coverage may depreciate your vehicle in the event of a claim. We provide "Agreed Value" coverage, which ensures that in the event of a total loss, you will receive the total value for which the vehicle is insured."

http://www.condonskelly.com

Larry

Larry Shoer

i just received a confirming note from heacock stating specificly they allow errands. i also received a response on the AACA website from someone who has had personal interaction with the founder of heacock, commenting on how active the founder/owner is in the old car hobby. the gentleman who wrote the note uses heacock. regards, tom

tm peterson

I have used Condon & Skelly for a number of years. (for same reasons Larry points out) Never filed a claim. The only thing I do not care for in my policy is "no drivers under 35 years of age" ..would be nice to go for a ride with my 26 year old son and let him drive without being a nervous wreck! It's not his driving that makes me nervous....it's the people that get a little too close trying to figure out if your "real" or "replacar"!Cheers,David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

David,

Are you sure about the age 35 restriction? On the Condon & Skelly website the only relevant information I found was the following:

"What are the rules for Applicant Eligibility? - Driving Record Driving record and loss history must meet our underwriting standards. - No more than one minor violation per driver and a maximum of two per household with no chargeable accidents, revocations or suspensions.- Owners and/or principal operators must have 5 years driving experience."

Larry

Larry Shoer

Larry,You are right! I went back and re-read my policies! Prior to 2001 (when underwriting moved from the "St.Paul Branch") there was a "35yr old driver age limit", my latest says "5 years driving experience" like you said! I remembered because my son really wanted to drive the TF to his Graduation and I was a nervous wreck letting him do so! (He and his sister had wrecked their cars just before this!) Shhhh... we just won't tell him about this change!Cheers,David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

Interesting... Most of my driving IS to work and for errands, with once a month in the summer to MG club meetings and a few times for MG club events. It sounds like all of these insurers you mention wouldn't allow me to drive the car the way I would like to.

Scott, you are correct, and I feel the same. Just curious, did Allstate tell you how they value your car, or are you just winging it?

Larry

L Karpman

The difference is in the way the vehicle replacement is valued. Unsure about others, but I could not find a stadard insurance company that would give me and agreed value policy. They will give you a value based on an apprasal, but that is not necessarily what they will pay.

BEC Cunha

According to our rep, they will repair/replace to the level it was at prior to the accident. It's not "agreed value", but then again, it's not a Ferrari...

I've had my '68 midget insured with them since 1975 and whenever it has been damaged in an accident I have had no problems getting it repaired, even when the cost of repairs were more than 50% of the worth of the car.

Of course, without anything in writing from the company, it's hard to predict just how they will act under certain conditions. But I haven't had any issues in the past with them.

It would be a much larger burden to not be able to drive it on a near-daily basis in the spring/summer/fall.

And when I'm not driving it, I just drop the policy back to cover it from loss while stored in the garage, which cuts the average cost of the policy back even further.

Scott

Scott

IMHO...We can only hope that a company with some knowledge of "classics's", and how they are driven and cared for would be the better choice and that you are going to be better off with an "agreed value".I have been lucky to have had very few claims for auto insurance ...but can assure you that these company's did not get so large and wealthy by paying claims! They are all in business to collect premium's! Example 1: If a tree falls on your Mitsubishi will your "friendly insurance company of 25+ years" hear you? Answer: Yes ..if you scream loud and hard enough!Example 2: If some yahoo sliding sideways against a guard-rail (on your side of the road on a snow & ice covered bridge) nearly hits you head on but you "move" enough to get the "right-side" of your car totaled, the other driver admits driving 35MPH in a 25MPH, pleads guilty to left of Center and you are found not guilty of causing the accident, will "HIS" company pay for damage to your car? Answer: Ask me again after 3/27/07. that is when we go to court again to show Erie Insurance that the damage to my son's car was on the "right-side" not the left-side of his car like they say! They contend they are not paying the claim as my son "turned left in front of their insured"! Guess they believe he was driving backwards? This happened 1/28/2004!Sorry ..just venting ..it's cold up here...thinking about these idiots always "warms me up"!Cheers,David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

Dave S:- I too would be very wary about letting anybody drive a TF to a "graduation" day...

eg where would he park it? who would look after it whilst he's inside?is he gunna be fit enough to drive back??etc etc

Afterall we are all 'custodians' responsible for these surviving british treasures.

wherein the bride hadn't seen/known of the TF beforehand, so was a little bit mystified as to the arrangements.

Ditto making sure she wore something "small" for the evening getaway. :-P

Will

Will,No no no.. "Graduation day" was outside on the football field , parked between our other cars in a handy-cap spot where I could see it from bleachers!"Graduation dinner"...was in a limo.... "Graduation night" ...he drove my 92 4X4 Dakota pick-up, to a party in a field where they camped out for the evening!(Actually I drove them to the "property" with wife following me to bring me home after we were off the public roads) I may be crazy...but not stupid!!! LOLCheers,David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

My boys both drove the TD from the time they were 16 and had their licenses. They had other cars but enjoyed the TD as well. It went to football practice (the American kind) High School on some days, graduation parties, and dates. Of course, that's before I started the restoration, and it was a fairly complete but rough driver.

It helps that although we live in a big town (60,000 plus) our little microcosm corner of it is more like an enclave of 3,500. The demographics of our enclave, while very diverse, shares a pretty blue collar approach to things (we're in the pbp section!). We all know what each other's children are up to!

I used Congdon & Skelly at an agreed value of $8,500. I figured if they didn't want to pay for a mishap I would have to pony up, but the car was rough enough that the cost of straightening the frame or finding a new wing would have only added a reasonable percentage to the upcoming restoration. When I'm finished, the boys who are now well into adulthood will no doubt enjoy the TD some more!

I also trusted them with the boats. Sure I had to fix things more often, but if they broke it, they had to help me!